Evening Republican, Volume 15, Number 205, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 30 August 1911 — Grizzlies Flee From Fire [ARTICLE]

Grizzlies Flee From Fire

Grazing District of Oregon Overrun By Bears Driven From Homes by Last Year’s Fires. Portland, Ore. —One effect of the forest fires which swept great areas last year has been to drive a lot of grizzly bears from their former feeding grounds and make them a menace to stock. Many reports have ben received here recently of the depredations of these big animals on the east slope of the Cascade mountains, and preparations are being made to hunt them down. The Cascade mountains have never been kpown as the haunt of the grizzlies. In the Blue mountains, about 260 miles to the east, however, the animals have been known to be fairly plentiful. . ; GFeat areas of the Blue mountains and near-by ridges were burned over la the great forest fires of last year, and so that spring the grizzlies did not find the supplies of food to which they had been accustomed. It Is believed that they then wandered across the valleys to the range nearer the crest. Here they also found insufficient supplies, and so they have turned on the stock which ranges the east slope of the Cascades. Berry Hickson, an old-time woodsman of the Upper McKenzie river, had a great surprise recently when be set out on ap expedition Into the Cascades. In the middle of one night several bears brought down one of

his pack mules and ate it He had to guard the others on succeeding nights, and with difficulty got out of the country with any of them. He has also suffered losses in stock, and will Join with other hunters In going after this big game.